


The strange man

by Zoya113



Category: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: Angst and Comfort, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2021-02-07 04:16:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21451885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zoya113/pseuds/Zoya113
Summary: Emma freaks out more than she should when a customer calls her by her name. Paul doesn’t know why.///  based off the clip of the original tgwdlm script that Jon uploaded
Relationships: Paul Matthews/ Emma Perkins
Comments: 5
Kudos: 77





	The strange man

**Author's Note:**

> Okay idk how many people saw the video jon put up today but did we really just brush over the ‘another stalker’ comment Emma sweetie are u okay

Paul brushed past a man as he entered Beanies, their shoulders just touching. 

He held the door open to apologise to him but the man continued on, sipping at his coffee rather happily.

“Oh, okay,” Paul headed on in, automatically pulling out his wallet as he approached the counter. 

“Did you see that guy?” Emma whispered, sliding over a step and craning her neck over the coffee shop to watch him as he left. 

“Yeah, I bumped into him just now. What’s up?” He tapped his wallet on the counter.

Emma shrugged. “D’you think he bumped into you because he was thinking about something?” She fixed her posture, moving to the machines to start on Paul’s coffee. “Black, yeah?” 

“When’s it ever been anything different?” He joked. “But I dunno, Em. He looked perfectly happy to me.” 

“Happy about what? The coffee? God no,” she laughed, banging the pitcher a little harder than usual on the table. “He was just sorta funny.”

“What sort of funny?” He leaned over the counter to watch her make his drink. Considering he always drank his coffee black, he didn’t know why she was putting milk in the pitcher.   
He only had to point a finger at it for Emma to realise. 

“Oh shoot! Sorry, I’m on auto pilot right now.” She put the pitcher aside and handed him his cup. “You said take away right?”

“I didn’t say anything,” he tapped his card on the eftpos machine but Emma was yet to get it set up. 

“Hah, I’m losing my head right now. Sorry babe! I’m just thinking about that last guy, he looked at me a little too hard and he smiled way too big! He had a strange face.” 

“Is that what you say to your co workers about me?” He snorted. 

Emma looked at him blankly as she processed the joke before laughing uproariously. “Paul!” She rolled her eyes, a little to excited for some reason. It was a bit of an overreaction. 

“Hey, how about you take your break right now, we’ll head on down to Oakleigh for a walk?” He suggested. 

Emma winced. “Oh. It’s a little early to take my break.” She shot a glance out the front window. “If I take my break now, closing hour will be the longest hour of my life.” 

“I’ll buy you good coffee,” he offered, stretching out the word to encourage her. “Starbucks?” 

Emma considered it for a moment before kicking her leg against the underside of the counter. “Yeah. Okay. Why not? My bad leg is cramping up.”  
She ducked into the back room to hang up her apron and tell her coworkers she was off.

“Come on,” he held out his arm to link with hers. 

“How’s work?” She asked, not looking up at him but instead at the road. 

“Not bad. I got forty five minutes on break actually. We’ve already got through our task list for the day down in IT. Charlotte’s found this new playlist on YouTube of like, ‘silly cat videos’ or something. Bill’s been trying to get these tickets to a show at the starlight. How’s work for you?”

“No, no, what about Ted? Or Melissa? What’ve you been up to?” She shook her head, it seemed dire to her he kept talking. 

“Well uh, the second I got my work done I took my break to come see you! And so I’d like it if you could talk back to me,” he jostled her playfully. 

“Sorry, Paul I’m just focusing on-“ 

“You can’t even get a sentence out? Emma, what’re you thinking about?” He shook her hand. He didn’t think she was listening. 

She shrugged, tossing her head. “That funny guy at work today. I can’t actually- oh!” She grabbed onto Paul’s arm, her fingers pushing painfully into his skin.

“Hey!” He quickly jerked his arm back and she barely noticed. 

“P-Paul-babe-babe! Look!” She thwacked his shoulder. “That’s the guy from work!” 

“The funny guy?” He leant down, his eyes flitting around the park to try and see what she was seeing. 

“Yeah!” She shielded her eyes with her hand and switched sides to hold Paul’s other hand. 

Paul held out his arm protectively in front of Emma even though he wasn’t sure what the threat was. “Did-did he hurt you or something!?” He didn’t know why she was so scared but it was making him scared too. 

“No! But he’s been coming whenever I’m on my shift for a whole week and there he is right there!” She hissed at him like he was stupid for not understanding. 

“And!?”

“He called me by my name today, Paul!”

“You have a name tag,” he reminded her. 

Her face scrunched up as she peered out from behind his back to glare at him. “You say that like I wear it!” 

“Emma, Emma, you need to take in a deep breath because you are freaking out and it’s freaking me out and I don’t even know what the problem is!” He spun around, putting his hands on both her shoulders to keep her in place. 

“I am taking a deep breath!” She said, even though she clearly wasn’t. “I don’t like it when customers get so close. How the hell does he know my name?” 

“You told me your name when I was just a customer. You talk to customers all the time, Em. Maybe you just mentioned it! Like yeah, customers who call you by your name are sort of creepy but he’s probably just a normal guy.” He surveyed the people in the park, none of which seemed to pose a single threat. 

Emma swivelled her head around to look at this man again, her eyes slitting angrily but her shoulders falling, resigned.   
“Okay, Maybe you’re - oh! He just looked at me!” She grabbed his arm with a vice grip and tried to bustle Paul on their way. 

“Probably because you keep looking at him, and you’re making a scene, Em! Do you really think this guy is like, following you?” 

“He could be!” 

He let her go so she could walk away. “You don’t think that sounds a bit ridiculous at all? A regular customer knows your name? I was that customer once, babe, did you ever think I was stalking you?” 

She nodded. “Yeah! You’re just lucky you’re good looking!” She prodded his chest. 

“Em. There’s this guy in HR at work and I couldn’t tell you his name but he knows mine. He always gets me to fix his computer instead of Bill or Char and he drinks at Beanies too. I don’t think he’s following me. You’re being a bit, um, dramatic.” He let go of her hand before he finished so she couldn’t grip at it angrily. 

“Ugh, you know what? You know, you’re probably right.”

“If you turn your head again to look at that guy he’s gonna get suspicious. Stop turning around!”

Emma shook her head. “That guy in HR probably isn’t following you. You two just work in the same space!”

“Yeah, exactly! He probably only gets me to fix his stuff because he’s probably racist and sexist. He probably shouldn’t be working in HR actually, but that’s a tangent! Listen!” He took her hand back, swinging it as they walked to try and improve her mood. “If you’re worried we’ll just go walking somewhere else, hey?”

She was silent at first but as they continued she began to laugh. “Wow! You are so right! You’re really so right!” She tapped her forehead but it was a little too rough. “Why would that guy be following me? I’m over it. I’m just blowing this out of proportion.” 

“Yeah, why would he?” Paul laughed anxiously. “You seem a little fixated on it all of a sudden.” 

“Well I never mind new regulars, it means my talking didn’t scare them away the first time hah, it just spooked me he called me by my name,” she shook her head to discount herself. “He probably just lives around here. Why would he even-“

“Oh he’s looking your way!” 

“What?” She let go of his hand, doing a full 180 spin that caused the dirt and gravel to fly up at her feet.

“Hah!” He put his arm around her neck, pulling her in. “It was a joke, Emma! That was quite a reaction for someone who’s ‘over it.’ Look, he’s gone.” 

She shoved him away with a grimace. “Paul! I don’t like you joking about it!” 

He stood shocked. She really was sensitive about it. “Uh, Em. I’m sorry, I didn’t think...”

“Can we just get out of this park? I don’t like you making fun of me and I can’t stand being here now,” her voice wavered, she sounded like she was going to cry. 

“Okay. Come on. I’ll get you that coffee I promised you. Do you want to talk about it?”

She rolled her eyes at him again, but this time it was harsh and angry. “I don’t know. Let’s just get that coffee and then I want to go back. I don’t care about my break.” She crossed her arms and marched ahead of him. 

“Hey, come on Em! I’m sorry for teasing you.” He took her hand, making her unfold her arms. “I don’t even know why I did that, you know that’s not me. I guess it’s just such a distant idea to me. I mean I’m the weird nerd who works on the bottom floor but you’re the cute, local barista and I bet that could probably happen to you.” He tried to create a proper apology but she wouldn’t look him in the eye. 

“I mean I know I was probably overreacting but can’t you tell I’m actually a bit worried?” She elbowed him. 

“Hey, I know I wasn’t being very kind but you can stop hitting me.” 

She tucked her hands into her pockets, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. “Sorry. That was uncalled for. Let’s just ignore this whole stalking thing okay? I’m getting worked up over nothing.” She waved her hand in front of her eyes, preparing for any tears she didn’t want to cry. 

“Sorry. We won’t talk about it. We’ll talk about something different. How’s your leg going? Still hurting?” 

“I don’t-“ she patted her leg and shrugged. “I’m fine. I’m doing fine. Thanks, Paul.” 

“I’m really sorry Emma. I really upset you. I get it! I hit a sore spot. But I don’t want you to be mad at me all day, I’ll get distracted at work.” 

She put an arm around his back, leaning against his side. “I’m not mad at you. I’m just mad... in general.” 

Paul pushed open the door to the coffee shops and he could feel Emma settle down as she breathed in the scent. 

“It’s like Beanies but not filthy,” she tried to laugh. “I wish I worked here instead.” 

“Well pros - I wouldn’t have to walk nearly as far but cons? The line is always so long and your boss would probably fire you for talking to me.” He wanted some sort of confirmation that she wasn’t that mad with him, just some little praise in his direction about how she would miss him in his hypothetical situation but it was radio silence.   
He titled his head towards an open table. “Hey. You go get that table and sit down. It’ll do your leg some good. I’ll wait in line hun. You want your favourite?” 

She nodded, retreating to the free table with a flat look. 

Paul stood in the line, recounting Emma’s order in his head so he didn’t accidentally blurt out ‘black coffee’ the second he stepped foot within a girl with a green apron. 

He went through with the transaction without a problem until he was standing in their pick up area.

And there was the man. Beanies cup still in hand.

He looked over the crowd at Emma who was still sitting alone at her table on her phone. He gulped. 

“Hey,” he cleared his throat. If he was given the choice between social interaction and eating a plate of dirt he would probably choose the latter. But this was for Emma, and it was different. 

The man looked up, taking out one headphone. 

“You uh, like Beanies coffee?” He pointed at the cup. 

“Oh,” the man shook his head. “I’m on a coffee run for my manager. We work a like two buildings down and she likes Starbucks but I like the Beanies stuff,” he tilted his head at the pickup counter. “I could ask you the same question. What’re you doing in Starbucks with one of those drinks?” 

Paul looked down at the cup in his hand. “I’m getting coffee for my girlfriend,” he decided to answer honestly.   
Of course this man wasn’t a stalker, but Emma was getting into his head and if he was, that man should know she wouldn’t be easy to get to.   
“She’s a barista down there. I like to go visit her but she likes the good coffee. Yeah.” 

“Oh, the barista is that short lady, is she? Emma?” 

Paul nodded. “How do you know her name?” He tried to keep it conversational but he could feel the question come out a little fast. If he had an answer it would be a good way to soothe Emma’s worry. 

“One of her co workers mentioned it one day. The one with the long hair,” he clicked his fingers, “Chloe, I think?” 

He didn’t even correct the man, he was just happy he could be the one to calm Emma down. “Yeah.”

“Paul?” One of the barista’s called out. 

He was lucky he didn’t have to carry that conversation any further. He grabbed Emma’s coffee and pushed through the crowd towards her. 

“Here, babe,” they held hands again, it was a good enough indicator she wasn’t that upset at him for now. 

“Thanks, Paul.” 

He tried to lead her back to the park but her heels were dug in and she didn’t turn around with him. 

“Um. My break is nearly over so I better run back now.”

“Okay,” he gave her hand a light pull but she still didn’t turn around. 

“I think you should go back to the office,” she unclasped their hands to fiddle with her hair. “And I’ll see you at home?”

He flinched, shoving his hand into his back pocket with defeat. “Okay. I get it. But I’ve got good news for when we get home, okay? Uh, that guy’s totally not a stalker he-“

“I don’t want to talk about it, babe! I know I was overreacting.” She shook her head a firm no. “See you at home.”

———————————————————

“It’s windy outside.” Emma had calmed down by the time she got home. She hung up her winter coat on the door hook with a long look at the kitchen.   
“I know Friday is date night but I don’t really wanna go out,” she yawned. 

He frowned. Maybe he really had upset her. Reminding her of the joke he pulled surely wasn’t going to help him so he offered to order in instead. 

When he got her sitting down he made sure to play with her hair and scratch her back and all the things she liked. 

He let her lay across his lap and keep the couch blanket on her legs. “Get some rest. If you fall asleep I’ll wake you when dinner gets here.”

“Hah, thanks babe,” she gave a sleepy grin, cozying down. 

“No problem,” he rested his hand across Emma’s back, drawing his nails lightly down her bare arm. She seemed in better spirits now. 

She let out a surprised purr and her drowsy smile widened. 

“That feels good?”

“Mhm,” Emma rolled onto her stomach and Paul moved to scratch her back. 

He laughed at her shameless and not very subtle request for more but took no convincing. He was happy if she was.   
He slipped his hand under her shirt and traced patterns on her skin with his nails. 

He continued his tracings, drawing heart and writing sweet messages down her back. 

As he moved up her back he could feel her shoulders were tense with stress. He ran the heel of his hand over her shoulder blades, feeling out the knots in her muscles and she grunted.

“Oh you’re... very, very tense.” He rolled his palms around her shoulder blades. They was a knot in her back like she had been on high alert all day. 

“I’m not tense,” she tried to convince him with her muffled words. Her face screwed up as he worked at her muscles. “I’m actually just ripped. Those are my muscles,” she joked. 

She was growing more relaxed, safe in his hold. Her hands untucked from under her chest and stretched out in front of her until she was sprawled across the couch. 

He was pleased with the results, loving it as she leaned into his touch. 

And then the doorbell rang. 

He could physically feel her muscles tense all the way back up and she shot to her feet. 

“Em, it’s just the delivery guy,” he wanted to calm her before she could panic but she gave a stiff shake of her head and pointed to their bedroom.

He sighed loudly and collected the pizza he had ordered himself.  
“Em, you wanna come out now?” He called. 

“Is he gone?”

“Emma, being rude to minimum wage workers isn’t very hot of you,” he spoke the first half in a raised voice until he walked over to their bedroom to retrieve her. 

“Uh one, it’s not mean because he’s clearly already gone. And two, you can’t give me that speech when I see you arguing with that girl from Greenpeace like once a week.”

“She starts it! And hey! That was the pizza guy, not the weird Beanies guy.” 

“You don’t know that. You barely saw him.”

“No, no, that’s right! What I wanted to tell you, I know that pizza guy wasn’t him because I saw him in the Starbucks!”

“In the Starbucks!?” She flung her arms out. “He followed me to the Starbucks!?” She backed up into their bedroom. 

“No! I spoke to him, uh, he isn’t following you!” Paul wanted to punch himself for not rephrasing that. 

“He said that?” She snapped. “No, I’m mad you spoke to him in the first place! What did you say to each other? I-I wasn’t looking behind me when I came out from work, he could’ve followed me!” Her body couldn’t decide on whether her language was frightened or angry.

Paul wanted to grab her shoulders but the chance of not getting hit in the face was slim as she waved her arms out.

“It’s not like that! Listen to me, take in a deep breath and listen clearly, okay Em? He gets two coffees because he likes Beanies but his manager likes Starbucks. He said he knows your name because Zoey mentioned it. He works nearby so he’s just in the same area! I promise it’s all okay, Em.” He took a step closer as her shivering calmed itself. “I promise you.” He slipped his arms around her slowly. 

The quiet atmosphere he was working on was interrupted as a tree smacked a branch against the bedroom window in the wind. 

“Shit!” Emma cursed, breaking out of Paul’s arms to face the window. “Oh!” She gasped, breathless from the shock. “It’s the tree.”

“You’ve had a rough day, Emma,” he reclaimed her, kissing her forehead. 

“I can’t do this anymore,” her eyes grew distant and her tone more stressed. She fell back onto the bed, pulling her pillow up into her lap and rocking back and forth anxiously. “I can’t do it again, Paul, this whole paranoia thing.” 

“Can’t do what again?” He sat down next to her, trying to take her hand but it was clamped too tight to the pillow. 

“This- this stalker thing! It’s getting to me!” 

“You’ve done this before? What happened?”

She nodded and held a hand to her forehead with a groan. “It was late last year when I just got the stupid job. I was talking with this guy for fun and he was listening and that was the best interaction I had had in a while!” She tried to laugh. ”And he would come in every day and we got to know each other but then he started crossing the lines. Looking at me differently and asking really personal questions.”

Paul put his hands to her back again, scratching her back lightly in hopes it would be as calming as before. 

“Then one day he was outside when I closed up but he didn’t say anything and I went home and I could see his car following me and he just started showing up everywhere I went.”

“A real creep.”

“He tried to follow me online and one night, the bastard, he actually came to my house!” She nodded, her voice raising. “My dad answered the door though and scared him off.” She shrugged, lifting the pillow to her mouth for a second like she was about to bite it. 

“Oh, shit Emma,” he couldn’t help but lift her into his lap like a frightened child. “That’s why you were so scared?”

“I think I have the right to be, it happened before,” she picked up the attack again. “But I mean god. You said it. He’s just a regular, local customer. He’s not following me home.”

“And you know what? Even if he was I think we could probably take him out,” Paul grinned hopefully, waiting for her to smile.

“Huh?”

“We’re both really strong.” For emphasis he stood up and lifted her up in his arms.  
“And there’s like one of him and two of us. We could totally beat him in a fight!” 

“A fight? We wouldn’t fight him!” 

“Yeah. Even if he was just a confused guy who didn’t know how social situations worked I’d punch him anyways. Bet I could knock him out in one hit,” he continued, trying not to search for her smile to desperately, but there it was. 

“One hit?” She snorted, her arms linked around his neck. “I mean you’re strong, but are you that strong?” 

“Well could a weak man hold you like this?” He bragged, starting to make a fool of himself just for her smile.

“I wonder who would win in a fight between us.”

“Well you said yourself you’re pretty strong, but you’re also very short. I could probably toss you like a football if I wasn’t in love with you.” 

“Hey!” She punched his shoulder. 

“You asked,” he shrugged. “Look.” He rocked her once in his arms before heaving her torso over his shoulder. 

“Babe!” She pounded one hand into his back, her other grabbing onto his jacket in fear of being dropped. “Hey! Put me down!” 

“We’re ignoring all that pizza we just bought, Perkins. Give me a chance to burn off the carbs I’m about to put on.” 

Emma allowed it, but begrudgingly. The second they got to the kitchen she began the flail to get out of his hold again and he finally let her back down to her feet. 

“Okay Em. Here’s the story,” he took in a deep breath once his plate was prepared.   
“I wouldn’t have teased you like that in the park today if I knew that happened. I understand why you got such a fright and why you could think that man would follow you.”

Emma nodded approvingly, loitering at the kitchen table instead of taking a seat. “That’s a good apology babe. I appreciate that.” She readjusted the pizza boxes for an extra second of silence. “I just had to get that out of my system. So, thanks for listening. I love you, babe.”

He smiled, hoping out of his seat to come and give her a hug. Overjoyed to be back in her good books. “It was no problem! Thank you for telling me!” 

“I’ll admit I was a little skittish today. But my head is clear now. I’m fine.”

“But just so you know, if he did try and follow you I just want you to know we could absolutely beat the hell out of him,” he managed to put in quickly before Emma could change the subject. 

“Paul!”

“I’m just saying!”

**Author's Note:**

> anyways this took longer to come out bc every time I use my phone my cat tries to knock it out of my hands what a power move huh


End file.
